Window screen



S. EDISON Sept. 22, 1959 WINDOW SCREEN Filed 001'.. 26, 1956 INVENTOR SAM EDISON ATTORNEY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 s. EDISON WINDOW SCREEN Sept. 22, 1959 Filed oct. 26, 195e United States Patent WINDOW SCREEN Sam Edison, Richmond, Va.

Application October 26, 1956, Serial No. 618,651

3 Claims. (Cl. 160 328)` This invention relates to window screens, and it particularly relates to roll-type window screens.

Heretofore, it has generally been the practice to install rigid type window screens which had to be painstakingly inserted and secured in place and then just as painstakingly released and removed when necessary. In order to solve this problem, various types of roll-away screens were proposed. However, each of these rollaway type screens heretofore proposed were either so complicated and expensive that they were commercially infeasible, or they Were so poorly constructed that they easily broke `down and became useless. Therefore, such roll-away type screens have, until the present time, never achieved any real popularity or wide usage.

It is, therefore, one object of the present invention to provide a roll-away screen which is simple in construction and easy to both install and use.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a roll-away screen which will not tend to become easily broken in use.

Other objects of the present invention are to provide an improved screen, of the character described, that is easily and economically produced, which is sturdy in construction, and which is highly eicient in operation.

With the above and related objects in view, this invention consists in the details of construction and combination of parts, as 'will be more fully understood from the following description, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a front view of a window equipped with a screen construction embodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a rear elevational View', partly broken away, of the screen assembly shown in Fig. l.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional View taken on line 4 4 of Fi 3.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged, detailed, sectional View taken on line 5 5 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged, detailed view, partly in section and partly in elevation, of the adjusting means, as taken on line 6 6 of Fig. 4.

Referring now in greater detail to the drawings wherein similar reference characters refer to similar parts, there is shown a window 10 having a Window frame 11 in conjunction with a window sill 12. Within the window frame there are channels or grooves 14 and 16 within which are slidable, in the ordinary manner, sash windows 18 and 20, of the ordinary type.

Externally of the outer window 20, to be mounted within the frame 1l), is provided an inner frame structure including an upper beam 22, a lower beam 24, and side beams 26 and 28. Positioned below the upper beam 22, and in front of the outer window 20, is a rod or roller 30. This roller 30 is removably mounted in bearings 32, and is held in position between these bearings by a leaf spring 34. The leaf spring 34 is fixed, at its lower end 36, to the side of the inner frame 26. This leaf spring is positioned to bear resiliently against one end 2 of the roller 30, projecting through its bearing 32, and, thereby, maintain its opposite end securely positioned within the opposite bearing.

Movably supported on the roller 30 is a flexible screen 38, the side edges of which extend into channel members 40 and 42, one on each side of the Window frame. In the corresponding plane with the front walls of the side channel members 40 and 42 there are also provided 'upper and lower mashing bars 44 and 46.

The flexible screen 38 is provided, at its upper end, with a rigidifying support bar 48 and, at its lower end, with a similar support bar 50. These support bars are attached to the respective upper and lower edges of the screen by bolts, screws, or the like, extending through blocks 52 and 54 respectively. A chain, or the like, indicated at 56 and 58, extends from each end of the upper supporting bar 48 to permit manual operation of the screen with either one or both hands. A pivoted latch member 60 is pivotally mounted on a bracket 62 on the rear portion of the inner frame structures bottom beam 24. This latch member is adapted to engage over the lower support bar 50, when the screen is in its lowered position, to hold the screen in place. It may be pivoted out of its engaging position when it is desired to raise the screen.

The channel members 40 and 42 are generally closed on all four sides, as seen in cross-section in Fig. 4, but their inner walls, 64 and 66 respectively, are provided with vertical slots, as at 68 and 70 respectively. It is through these slots that the corresponding edge portions of the screen extend.

Within each channel member 40 and 42 are provided a pair of laterally positioned guide members, these guide members being shown at 72 and 74 in channel member 40 and 76 and 78 in channel member 42. A top ilange overlies each of these guide members, as indicated at 88 and 82 in Fig. 5.

It should here be noted that the rear guide member in each channel member extends to a position lower than the front guide member so as to provide clearance for the roller supporting bearings 32. This is clearly indicated in Fig. 5.

Vertcally stacked within each guide member are a sen'es of balls, indicated at 84, 86, 88 and 90. The balls in each guide member extend partially out of the guide member toward the balls in the laterally adjacent row, as most clearly seen in Figs. 4 and 5; however the balls in each guide member are spaced from the balls in the laterally adjacent guide member to provide a gap therebetween to correspond with the respective slot 68 or 70 in the channel member. One or more yokes, as shown at 92 and 94, embrace the guide members in each channel member.

The side edges of the screen are provided with beads, as at 96 and 98, and these beads act to laterally retain the sides of the screen between their respective series of laterally spaced, series of balls. Adjacent these beaded edges, the screen is provided with thickened seam portions 100 and 102 respectively; these seam portions acting as reinforced contact areas between the corresponding series of balls.

Because of the inherent flexibility of the screen 38, it is desirable, when it is in operative position, to rigidify it not only by means of the support bars 48 and 50, which add rigidity in the longitudinal direction, but by means which would act to rigidify it in the transverse direction. When so rigidilied, the screen would not tend to bend or buckle. This transverse rigidication is obtained by any suitable means such as by the use of the yokes 92 or 94, at least one of which is equipped with a tensioning means. Such tensioning means may be provided at either side of the screen or only along one side as indicated in Figs. 3 and 4.

The tensioning means illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 comprisesa lever 104-of generally inverted U-shape, which extends through'the rearwall'of the channel member 42. This lever is piv'oted, at its central portion, within the opening in the wall of the channel member throughwhich it extends, as best seen in Fig. 6. At its inner end, the lever 104 isprovided with a straight extension 106; this extension 106 having its free end embraced withinl an eyelety 108 projecting from the yoke 94.4 vThe external end of the lever `is also provided with a straight extension 110; this extension serving asa manually operating handle. VThe juncturebetween the lever 104 and its. han-- dle 110 serves as a pointer to coact withV an .arcuate series of knobs or the like, indicated at 112. The arcuate extension of the .series-of knobs conforms to the. arcuate movement of the handle 110v as the lever-104 is pivotally moved.

When it is ydesired `to transversely tension the screen, the handle 110 is moved to one of the knob positions to theleft of the center; the particular knob position used determining `the vamount of tension required. As the handle is moved, it causes the lever 104 topivot, and this pivotal motion causes the extension 106 to move the yoke 94 to the right, as viewed in Fig. 4. As the yoke moves tothe right, it carries the guide members 76 and 78 withv it; and these guide members, therefore, also` move the balls 88 and 90 in the same direction. Thisbrings the balls into frictional engagement with the bead- 98 on the screen edge and -forces therscreen in the same direction. Since the opposite edge of the'screen is retained by the coaction of bead 96 andvballs 84 -and 86,"a transverse tension is effected on the screen. tension is measured Yby the amount of movement to the right of yoke 94. In order to obtain equalityy of tension throughout the screen, at least one other tensioning means of similar type is provided in vertically spaced relation to that illustrated in Fig. 4. Two such tensioning means are illustrated in Fig. 3. These separate tensioning means are separately operated so that varying tensions can be applied on 'the screen throughout its vertical -length depending on the local conditions effecting the screen in the various-areas thereof. v

When the windows` are desired to be cleaned or when it is desiredto raisethe screen for anyQother purpose, the latch 60 is released and the chains 56 and 58 'pulled down to move thev screen up. During this movement, the screen makes sliding contact with the rod'or roller 30. This rod or roller 30 not only acts to movably support the screen but also acts to hold it in place. When it is desired to remove the screen, the ro-ller 30A is removed by pressing back on'leaf spring'34 yand pulling the opposite end of the roller out from its bearing-32. Then the endadjacent the leaf spring 34 can-be easily removed. This permits removal of the screen.

Although this invention has been described in considerable detail, such description is intended as being illustrative Arather than limiting, since theinvention may be variously embodied,'and the scope of the invention is to be'determined as claimed.

Having thus set forth and disclosed the nature of this invention, what is claimed is:

1. A window screen device comprising a frame having The amount of this an upper end, a lower end and side channel members,

a roller adjacent said upper end of the frame, a ilexible screen movable over said roller, said screen having a rigid support bar at each of its opposite ends, means adjacent the sides of said screen, within said channel members to exert transverse tension on said screen, and latch means to secure said screen in longitudinally tensioned position on said frame, said -means to exert transverse tension comprising -a lever -pivotally connected to oneI of said channel members, said lever being connected to a yoke embracing a pair of parallel rows of balls, one row beingpositioned on each side of said screen, said screen having a bead along its corresponding edge, arcuate guide members extending longitudinally of said screen on opposite sides of said parallel rows of balls a top ange member overlying each guide member for retaining said balls, said yoke being operatively connected to said lever in such manner that when said lever is pivoted, it acts to move said yoke which, inturn, moves said balls into frictional engagement with said. bead and exerts a transverse force thereon, and retaining means at the opposite edge of said screen for retaining `said screen against said transverse force, said retaining means comprising a pair of oppositely-positioned rows of balls embracing the opposite edge portion ofsaid screen within the opposite channel member.

2. A window screen device comprising a frame having an upper end, a lower end and a channel member at each side, a pair of vertical rows of balls in each channel member, the rows of each pair being spaced laterally from each other to form a vertical gap therebetween, each row of balls being positioned within a vertical arcuate guidev member with the balls extending partially outward of their corresponding guide-members in a lateral direction toward -said gap, a flexible screen movable around a roller positioned in the upper end of said frame, the side edge portions of said screen extending into said channelv members and through said Kgaps between the rows of balls in each channel member, eac-h side edge portion having a beaded edge and a contact portion adjacent said beaded edge, said contact portion being of enlarged thickness relative to said screen but of less thickness than saidbeaded edge, and being positioned in the gap between the rows 4of balls, and actuating means to move the balls in at least one of said channel members into engagement with the correspondingbeaded edge in a manner to exert a transverse force on said beaded edge.

3. The device of claim 2 wherein said actuating means comprisesa -yoke embracing said rows of balls and constructed and Varranged to move said rows of balls toward and away from said corresponding beaded edge, and a lever pivoted' to said frame for actuating said yoke.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 481,091 Anderson Aug. 16, 1892 1,054,560 Kale et al. Feb. 25, 1913 1,172,174 Soule Feb. 15, 1916 1,188,410 Burrowes June 27, 1916 1,665,775 Dixson Apr, 10, 1928 1,716,285 Szako June 4, 1929 1,779,915 Panico Oct. 28, 1930 1,809,779 Fremont June 9, 1931 2,579,159 Starr ec. 18, 1951 

